Auctus
by TheGreatElisaMousy
Summary: After an encounter with a strange Witch, Spirit is hit with a spell, but seems to be fine. The next time he and Stein go into battle, though, Stein feels the effect of the spell. Now Stein is trapped as a ten-year-old boy with no memories of his adult life, but still not free of the madness. How can he adjust to the changed world around him? And will he ever get back to normal?
1. Tetra, Quartum, Quetoro, Dahk

**TheGreatElisaMousy: Hello, all~ Elisa here~ We also have a special guest. Say hello, special guest!**

**Stein: … What am I doing here, exactly?**

**TheGreatElisaMousy: Why, you're here to do the disclaimer, of course~**

**Stein: Why would I do that?**

**TheGreatElisaMousy: If you don't, I'll lock you in a Soul Wavelength-proof padded room with no dissection equipment, and possibly 'lose' the key for a while.**

**Stein: And I thought I was scary. Fine… TheGreatElisaMousy does not own any of the Soul Eater characters in any way, shape, or form. Now can I have my scalpel back?**

**TheGreatElisaMousy: Sure~ Go crazy~**

* * *

><p>Spirit Albarn, also known as Death Scythe, stood in the Death Room, waiting for Shinigami-sama to tell him why he was there. Things had been pretty peaceful lately, so Shinigami-sama hadn't really needed his weapon lately.<p>

"Oh, Sempai. You're here, too."

Spirit froze. He'd know that voice anywhere. It belonged to the man who'd dissected him for five years, doing horrible experiments on his body. Doctor Franken Stein. "Stein," he greeted nervously, turning around. What was he so afraid of? He was a Death Scythe, for crying out loud! And Stein was just a Meister. No. That wasn't true. He wasn't _just_ a Meister. He was, as Shinigami-sama had said in the past, the most brilliant student to ever graduate Death Weapon-Meister Academy. The man could match his soul wavelength to just about anybody, and he could attack directly with said wavelength, without the need of a weapon. He was a genius, but there was one problem. The man was absolutely insane.

Just then, the mirror in front of both men glowed, because for once, Shinigami-sama hadn't been in the Death Room when they'd arrived. He'd no doubt been on important business somewhere else in Death City.

The Grim Reaper stepped through the mirror, though stepped may not have been the best word. Shinigami-sama's cloak always managed to make him look like he was standing on a spring. "Hello, hello, nice to see you!" he greeted them in his typical carefree manner. His mood suddenly turned serious. "There's something I'd like to ask of the two of you."

"What is it, Shinigami-sama?"

"A Witch has found her way into Death City. She needs to be taken care of before she can harm the students. Normally, I might send Maka and the others, but they've taken out many other students to help them with their missions. The only students left at the Academy at the moment are fairly new, one-star Meisters and Weapons. They aren't strong enough yet to take on a Witch and survive, but we cannot afford to wait. We don't know what kind of powers this Witch has. That is why I would like to ask the two of you to take care of the problem."

"Yes, Sir," Spirit told him. He didn't like having to work with Stein, but it was true that there was no better team at the Academy than the two of them. Yes, Stein could Resonate with any weapon, but he seemed especially powerful when wielding Spirit. Besides, it wasn't a good idea to send Stein out with any other weapon, except maybe Marie, because no one else could keep his madness in check like the two of them could. Marie had a calming effect on the madness. Spirit just knew the mad scientist well enough to recognize when it was getting to be too much, and knew exactly when to pull him out of the madness that would start to engulf him. He and Stein left the Death Room to complete their task.

X

The Witch sat in a tree, bored. There was no one worth fighting in Death City, which surprised her. All the strong students were away, and it was no fun to go after easy pickings like one-star Meisters. Her mood brightened, though, when she felt a strong presence. "Who have they sent to play?" she asked herself, jumping down from the tree. Standing in front of her was a fairly tall man with grey hair and pale green eyes in a stitched-together lab coat holding a large black Scythe. "Oooh!" she said with a grin. "They sent the great Franken Stein just for little old me?" Her grin darkened, becoming more evil. "They shouldn't have."

"What are you doing here, Witch?" Stein demanded, but the strange woman didn't reply.

"Tetra, Quartum, Qetoro, Dahk!" she yelled, gathering a strange energy in her palms. It was lilac in color, but despite its pretty appearance, both Stein and Spirit knew that it could be potentially deadly. As soon as the sphere of energy was hurled their way, Stein positioned Spirit so that the spell would hit the Scythe. Being a Death Scythe, Spirit had a certain resistance to magic, being able to be used as a shield. The spell bounced off harmlessly.

"Nice try, Witch!" Spirit yelled. "But it's going to take a bit more than a few magic tricks to beat us!"

"Good!" the Witch replied. "I like a challenge!" She started gathering energy in her hands again, this time a crackling pink sphere. "Tetra, Quartum, Quetoro, Dahk!" She hurled the spell in their direction, which Stein then blocked again. The Witch, however, didn't look bothered in the slightest. She threw a myriad of multicolored energy spheres, each either blocked or dodged.

With every dodge, Stein drew closer and closer to his opponent. When he was in arm's reach, he thrust his palm out, catching her in the gut. "Soul Menace!" he yelled, channeling his Soul Wavelength down his arm and straight to his hand. The attack sent violent spasms through the Witch's body, forcing her to jump back.

"Tch! Looks like I'm going to have to retreat for now. But before I leave, here's a little parting gift! Penta, Quintum, Peqe, Wis!" She hurled a dark green wave of energy at them before disappearing. Stein brought Spirit up to block it again, but instead of being deflected, this spell absorbed into the Death Scythe.

"We have to go after her!" Spirit yelled.

His temporary partner shook his head. "She's left Death City. I can't sense her soul right now, and if she's using Soul Protect, she's not a danger to anyone at the moment, anyway." Stein stared at Spirit for a moment. "Are you alright, Sempai?" he queried. An unknown spell had just been absorbed by the man. There was no telling what it could be doing.

The Scythe in question returned to human form. "Yeah. Other than a little woozy, I feel fine."

"Come back with me," Stein ordered. "I'd like to run a few… tests. Just to make sure."

"N-No, I'm good!" Spirit insisted. Anything but that. "You don't have to. Bye!" he yelled, running off, leaving a chuckling Stein in the middle of the street.

X

The next few days passed uneventfully. It appeared that the spell hadn't affected Spirit at all, much to Stein's disappointment. He'd wanted an excuse to open his old test subject back up again.

"Are you _sure_ that you're alright, Sempai?" Stein asked as he passed Spirit in the hall. "It _was_ a direct hit."

"I told you, Stein, I'm fine. So you don't need to go poking through my insides!"

The younger man chuckled, backing off. "Alright, fine." He started to walk away, but he stopped suddenly. "Oh, Shinigami-sama wants to see us later."

"Alright, thanks," the red-haired Death Scythe replied. He just hoped it wasn't about that fight with the Witch. They'd let her escape, and Shinigami-sama couldn't be too happy about that…

X

"Are you alright, Death Scythe?" Shinigami-sama asked, for once skipping all greetings.

"Yeah, of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

Shinigami-sama looked him up and down. "Stein told me about what happened with the Witch's spell." Spirit whirled around to glare at the other man, only to find him looking away and whistling innocently. "Anyway, since you seem to be doing well, I want you to go look for her tonight. We don't want to have another Medusa incident."

"Yes, Sir!" both men replied.

X

"I can't believe you told him about what happened!" Spirit grumbled, annoyed. The two were patrolling the streets, with the older man in his Weapon form.

"I was worried about you," Stein said with a shrug. Spirit didn't believe him. Stein wasn't the kind of person that worried about other people. He was a very self-centered, sadistic person. If anything, he would have been happy if something serious had happened to Spirit. He'd have found it a chance to run new tests. After all, it had been years since he'd left the scientist, who knows what new kinds of experiments the younger man had been waiting to try? "Anyway, I'm not sensing the Witch, but there are a few Kishin Eggs around here."

"Are there any students nearby?" Spirit asked. If there were, that meant that the Kishin Eggs were taken as a mission, and it wouldn't be right for the two of them to butt in and kill the Kishin Eggs for them. Then the students wouldn't learn anything. But if there _weren't_ any students after them, than it was their duty as Meister and Weapon to get rid of any and all Kishin Eggs they came across.

"No," Stein answered, already running in the direction that Spirit assumed was where the Kishin Eggs were.

When they arrived, there were five of them terrorizing innocent bystanders. "Soul Menace!" Stein yelled, getting the jump on one of them and pressing him palm into its back, letting his Soul Wavelength loose. The Kishin Egg was forced to drop the human it had been about to eat. It, along with the other four, turned to face Stein.

One of them charged him, but Stein held Spirit up to block the strike, twisting the Scythe and cleanly lopping its head off. That one was too easy. The other four were more on guard though, and the one that had been hit with Soul Menace was getting up. The two men were surrounded on all sides, but it didn't matter. It wasn't like they had any plans to escape, anyway. Stein spun Spirit a few times to show the Kishin Eggs that they were serious, and all four of them charged at the same time. Stein waited until they were as close as possible before jumping into the air, partially powered by a downward strike of his Soul Wavelength and swung Spirit downward upon his descent, eliminating yet another Kishin Egg. He felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. Looking down, he discovered a blade piercing right through his right side, just above his lung. He took a risk in kicking it backward, hissing in pain as the blade twisted in his wound. He pulled it out and flung it aside. He hadn't noticed that they were armed. These were definitely different than usual Kishin Eggs. Most had weapons on parts of their bodies. These ones were actually armed. In some ways, it made it easier, because he could disarm them, but in others, it was harder, because he couldn't tell if they were concealing anything or not.

He jumped out of the way of a swipe at his abdomen, slicing at the Kishin Eggs with Spirit. The wound in his shoulder was really starting to hurt, but Stein ignored the pain for as long as he could. Just because he was a strong Meister didn't mean that he could let his guard down. He had to remain vigilant at all times in a battle, or the enemy could get the upper hand, and he'd be done for. He was getting annoyed at how long this was taking, though. He wanted to go home so that he could continue working on one of his new pet projects. "Ready, Sempai?" Stein asked, already matching his Soul Wavelength exactly to Spirit's.

"Right!"

"Soul Resonance!" they both yelled, and Spirit's blade grew much larger, beginning to glow.

"Witch Hunter!" Stein yelled, swinging his partner one final time. Grooves were made in the ground as the fatal attack hurtled toward the Kishin Eggs and destroyed them. Spirit returned to human form.

Stein bit his lip at the sudden pain in his head. It wasn't a normal pain like a headache, or even like someone had hit him over the head. No, this felt like someone had ripped out his screw, dipped it in acid, and shoved it back in without bothering to turn it. He staggered a bit, trying to overcome the pain and regain his balance.

"Pretty good work, wouldn't you say, Stein?" Spirit asked. He received no response. "Stein?" He turned as he heard a dull thud.

The scientist was laying on the ground, unconscious, and breathing shallowly.

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><p><strong>TheGreatElisaMousy: What did you all think~?<strong>

**Stein: Why did you make me pass out? Wasn't Sempai the one that got hit with the magic?**

**TheGreatElisaMousy: That doesn't mean that he's the one it affected.**

**Stein: You're not going to tell me what's wrong with me, are you?**

**TheGreatElisaMousy: You'll just have to wait, like everyone else. Anyway, that's it for now. Until next time~**


	2. Who are you?

**TheGreatElisaMousy: Hey, everyone~ Surprised to see me back so soon?**

**Spirit: Back already, huh?**

**TheGreatElisaMousy: I'm sure people are dying to know what happened to Stein last time!**

**Spirit: It's kind of in the summary…**

**TheGreatElisaMousy: Shut up and let me have my fun! Anyway~ Disclaimer, please, dear Death Scythe/Spirit Albarn~**

**Spirit: Alright. TheGreatElisaMousy claims no rights to any of the Soul Eater characters, and only owns the plot of this story.**

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><p><em>Alright, deep breaths, Spirit,<em> the Death Scythe thought as he approached his unconscious friend. Seeing Stein unconscious on the ground unnerved him, especially when it was after such an easy battle like that one. _He's probably coming down with something, and that Resonance put too much stress on his body. Yeah, that's it…_ But no matter how many times he told himself that, he couldn't make himself believe it. He'd felt something… off, during their Resonance, but he wasn't able to place it. Trying to avoid assuming the worst, he hauled the taller man onto his back and carried him back to the stitched together home.

Once he arrived, he managed to ignore the fact that he was in a building full of scientific equipment and dissection tools with probably the world's maddest scientist. His first priority was getting Stein settled. If he really was coming down with something, it might not be the best idea to just leave him laying anywhere, so he entered his old partner's bedroom and set him down on the bed. Blankets would be a good idea, too, so he took care of that. He smiled a little before turning to leave. Despite being terrified of the man sometimes, Spirit and Stein really were close friends.

X

The next day, Spirit had to sub for the Crescent Moon class because Stein never showed up for work that morning. While it was nice to be able to see his little Maka, even though she ignored him, he still couldn't help but worry about Stein. He had to just be sick. That was the only real explanation… or rather, the only one Spirit really wanted to think about, anyway.

As soon as class was over, he was called to the Death Room.

"Ah, Death Scythe," Shinigami-sama said, skipping over the pleasantries again. "There's a favor I'd like to ask of you." At the look on Spirit's face, he chuckled. "Don't worry, I'm not sending you into another fight. I'd like for you to check up on Stein. He missed work today, and he didn't even call in sick. I want you to see if he's okay. And if he's perfectly fine and was just skipping…" He raised his hand in a way that Spirit found threatening. "Bring him here." Spirit nodded. He hope now, for Stein's sake, that he had a good excuse for missing work. Otherwise, he'd have to suffer the famous 'Shinigami Chop', something Spirit knew all too well.

"Yes, Sir," he told the Reaper.

X

Spirit found himself back at Stein's place twice in less than twenty-four hours. He knocked on the door gently. "Hey, Stein. You okay in there? You didn't show up for work today." No response. "Can I come in?" Again, no response. "Alright, I'll take that as a yes, then," the red-haired man said, opening the door and stepping inside. He checked the labs first. One of the only reasons that Stein would skip out on his teaching job would be if he was on some sort of mission, which Spirit knew he wasn't, if he was sick, or if he had some new project going on. But the younger man wasn't in any of them. The next place to check was the bedroom.

Spirit opened the door slightly to take a peek inside. There was a decent sized lump under the blankets, so Spirit turned around and was about to leave. Something seemed wrong, though, so he looked back over his shoulder. That lump was too small to be Stein. Oh, man, had the maniac kidnapped some child to do experiments on? If that was the case, he had to get the kid out of there and report this to Shinigami-sama. He walked over and lifted up the covers, and the sight before him made him freeze.

A boy that looked about ten years old was curled up in the bed, seeming to be desperate for warmth, even though he was sweating. The boy had shaggy silvery grey hair and a thin, scrawny build. But Spirit would know that boy anywhere. This boy had terrorized him for a long time, but that was twenty years ago… How was this possible?

He silently put the covers back over the sleeping boy and tried to tiptoe his way out the door.

"Stop," a young voice commanded, and Spirit turned around. The boy had apparently woken up, and was sitting in the bed, fist clenched around a scalpel. "Who are you?" he asked, his eyes narrowing.

Spirit studied the child for a moment. He was paler than he should be, and was still sweating buckets. Despite all of that, though, he knew the damage he could make with that tiny little scalpel. "Spirit Albarn," he replied honestly.

The boy's fist tightened around the scalpel. "Don't make me laugh. Sempai's not an old man like you."

"O-Old?!" Spirit yelled, insulted. "I'm only 33!"

"Sempai's 13," the boy answered simply. "I'll ask again: Who are you? And if I don't like your answer, you'll wind up on my dissection table."

_Yep, that's him, alright_, the Death Scythe thought. "I told you the truth."

The boy glared and tried to stand, but he seemed a little wobbly. "Wrong answer," he growled and went to take a step forward, but his leg wouldn't support his own weight and he fell to the ground.

Spirit was by his side in seconds. First things first, he managed to pry the sharp object from the boy's hand, setting it far out of reach. "You're in no condition to get up," he told him. "Now get back in the bed." With that, he helped the protesting ten-year-old up, sitting him down on the bed. "Look," he said. "You can see people's souls, right?"

The boy paused. "How did you know about that?"

"Taking that as a yes. Look at mine, alright? Tell me what you see."

The boy stared at him, somewhere in the vicinity of the man's chest. His brow furrowed in confusion. "But that's not possible…" he muttered. Everything he saw was familiar, though. It was _exactly_ like his Sempai.

"Now, tell me what happened, Stein," Spirit said.

"_You_ tell _me_ what happened. How did you get so old?"

"I told you, I'm not old! And twenty years passed from what you seem to remember. What happened yesterday?" Spirit asked. He needed to know what the damage was.

"You started hitting on Yumi-san, but she rejected you. You tried hitting on Marie a couple of hours later," mini-Stein replied. He was starting to understand what was going on, though not completely. He knew it couldn't be a trick, because no one could mimic another person's soul _exactly_. They could try, but they would never get it perfect. This was Spirit, alright. He knew that he must actually be around thirty, but something happened, reducing him to a ten-year-old and getting rid of all of his memories past this age. But what? "What happened yesterday?" he mimicked the question, wanting to know was happened the _actual_ night before, not the last night he remembered.

"Shinigami-sama sent us after a Witch that we accidentally let escape a few nights before. We—"

"Wait. Tell me more about this Witch," Stein ordered.

"Okay then, Mr. Bossy," Spirit joked. "She was some weird Witch that kept casting spells at us, but you blocked them with me. The kept bouncing off, but her last one… it was different. Instead of bouncing off, it absorbed into me."

"Were you okay?" the man-turned-child asked.

"I thought I was, but now I'm not so sure. I mean, we Resonated last night to get rid of some Kishin Eggs, but as soon as they were dead, you passed out. I brought you here, and well… you know the rest," Spirit told his friend.

Stein nodded slowly. "Maybe the spell was intended to affect whoever you Resonated with. Kind of like how some animals carry a disease but aren't affected by it. You probably carry a curse, but it does nothing to you. But why us? Why would the Witch attack us of all groups?"

Spirit's mouth formed a small 'o' in understanding. "She was after Shinigami-sama."

"How would cursing you affect Shinigami-sama?" Stein asked. But then he caught sight of Spirit's soul again. It was stronger in a way that he'd seen only once before. "You're a Death Scythe," he stated.

"Yep."

"We… we did it?" the boy asked, his eyes brightening a little in excitement.

Spirit hated to dampen his mood. After all, Stein hadn't gotten excited about anything other than dissections and experiments in years, but being a child again, which a child's memories and mentality, he was a little easier to make happy. But Spirit had to tell him to truth. "Actually… After five years of us being partners, I found out about your experiments."

Stein laughed. "It took you five years to figure it out?"

Spirit ignored him. "I told Shinigami-sama about it, and he partnered me with someone else. Kami, actually."

"Oh…" the young boy said softly, shoulders sagging, head hanging. He'd gotten so excited. Spirit had been not only his best test subject, but his best friend, too. The thought of his best friend being taken away from him saddened him. He was probably asking for it, though, taking five years of experimentation and dissection into consideration. All this sudden new information finally washed over him and he closed his eyes, feeling his body sway a little. Spirit noticed this as well.

The older man placed a hand to his younger friend's forehead. "Whoa, you're burning up, Stein. I'm going to go tell Shinigami-sama about this, and then I'll be back, alright?"

Stein nodded slowly. His curiosity had powered him during their conversation, but now that his questions had been answered, this apparent sickness was rearing its ugly head. He laid back down and drew the covers over his head.

Spirit chuckled a little at the childish action before standing to leave. As he opened the front door to exit the house, he ran right into his little girl, fist raised as though she was just about to knock on the door.

"Papa!" she said, a bit confused. "What are you doing here?"

"Shinigami-sama asked me to check up on him since he didn't call in this morning. He's… not fit to see visitors right now, though. You'll have to come back some other time, I'm sorry, Maka," the girl's father told her.

"Okay…" she replied, disappointed. As soon as he disappeared from sight though, she snuck inside. She typically wasn't one to break the rules, but her dad was acting weird… even for him. "Stein-sensei?" she called, wandering the rooms.

Stein, still curled up in his bed, opened his eyes at hearing her voice. Who was this girl, and why the hell was she in his house? And what was with this 'sensei' business? What happened in those twenty years that he didn't know about? He slowly pulled the covers down. Spirit had told him to rest, but just because the man was older than him (much older, at the moment), that didn't mean that he would listen to him. Besides, this girl didn't sound like she was going to leave unless she found him. But what did she want with him? He cursed silently when he noticed the scalpel on top of a bookshelf. Spirit just _had_ to rub in his face that he was that much shorter than him, didn't he?

The girl's footsteps drew closer to his room, and when the door opened, he stared at the girl in the doorway, confused. "Kami?" he asked. This girl looked _exactly_ like the girl Spirit had apparently switched to.

"Huh? Who are you?" she asked.

He shook his head. No, it couldn't be Kami. Spirit had explained to him already that he was behind by twenty years, meaning that Kami would be a grown woman by now. "Who are you?" he retaliated. He wasn't about to divulge his information until he knew who he was talking to.

"Maka Albarn, two-star Scythe Meister," she answered, taking a closer look at him. She seemed kind, and… wait. Albarn? She couldn't be…

"Are you Sempai's daughter?" he blurted out the question, unable to quell his newfound curiosity about this girl. He looked at her soul. Hard-working, brave, reliable… And there was something else. He whistled, honestly impressed and intrigued.

"What?" the girl asked, temporarily forgetting about Stein's own question.

"A Grigori soul…" he said, amazed. "I never thought I'd see one myself."

"You can see my soul?" she asked, earning a nod. "What's your name?"

After a moment of deliberation, Stein decided 'what the hell?' and decided to speak. "Franken Stein."

Maka's eyes bugged out. "S-Stein-sensei?"

"Why do you keep calling me 'sensei'?" the boy asked. When she didn't reply, he sighed. It looked like he was only going to get any answers out of her if he explained his situation first. "Sempai told me that something happened when we fought a Witch a couple of nights ago, and it affected me last night."

"How old are you?" Maka asked curiously.

"Ten."

"And you don't remember anything past ten?"

"Nope. Now can you answer my question?"

"Oh, right," Maka remembered. "You became a teacher at DWMA. You taught my class, and we first met during a remedial lesson. After that, you kept a close eye on me and my friends, and you helped us out a lot."

Him? Helping people? He cracked a small smile at the absurdity of the idea. "Right," he said, and laid back down on the bed. He really did need some rest.

"You don't look too good," Maka pointed out. "Are you alright?"

"To be honest, I don't think so," he replied simply. "So, you're Sempai's daughter, right?" She nodded. "Who's your mother?"

Maka's mood darkened. "Her name's Kami."

"Really…" the young scientist muttered. So the girl that took his best friend from him became his wife and mothered his child… "I'm surprised he got married."

"Actually…" Maka started. "They got divorced a little while ago, because my good-for-nothing Papa kept cheating on her."

"You don't seem to be very fond of him," Stein observed.

"No," she confirmed.

After a moment's pause, Stein said something he wouldn't have expected. "Don't be angry with him. He's a good guy, really. Or, well… he was, twenty years ago."

Maka laughed a little. "Since you look kind of sick, I'll let you rest. I'll see you later, alright?" she said, turning around. She had to process all of this. Her favorite teacher was suddenly younger than her. Oh, boy… _This is going to be an adventure…_ she thought, leaving the boy to rest.

Stein was asleep within seconds of her departure.

* * *

><p><strong>TheGreatElisaMousy: Well, it was kind of boring, but I wanted to get it done.<strong>

**Spirit: Poor Stein…**

**TheGreatElisaMousy: You feel bad for him? I thought you were terrified of him.**

**Spirit: Well, yeah, but…**

**Stein: *holding his trusty scalpel* Oh, Sempai~**

**TheGreatElisaMousy: I suggest you run.**

**Spirit: AHHHHHHH!**

**TheGreatElisaMousy: Anyway, here's my update policy. I need at least two new reviews before I post another chapter. That does NOT, however, mean that I will automatically update as soon as I get two new reviews. I do have a life outside of fanfiction.**

**Stein: No you don't.**

**TheGreatElisaMousy: Ignoring that. Anyway, please review and/or favorite and/or follow~ Til next time~**


	3. You're treating me like I'm five

**TheGreatElisaMousy: Okay, back again~**

**Maka: You're on a roll.**

**Soul: Yeah, usually you post a few chapters, and then go on a huge hiatus for a few years.**

**TheGreatElisaMousy: Hey! I really like this one, and know exactly where I'm going with it, so it's going to get finished!**

**Soul: Whatever you say…**

**TheGreatElisaMousy: Anyway, Maka-chan, could you do the disclaimer for me?**

**Maka: Alright. TheGreatElisaMousy doesn't own any of the Soul Eater characters.**

* * *

><p>"This is troubling…" Shinigami-sama muttered after Spirit reported what had happened to Stein. The once thirty-year-old man was now only ten, and sick with a high fever at that.<p>

"What do you think we should do?" Sid asked, having also heard the news from the Death Scythe.

"First things first," the Reaper started, "We need to get him healthy again. After that, we'll figure something out. Death Scythe, I want you to go get some medicine from the nurse's office and bring it to Stein. Keep an eye on him until he gets better, okay?"

Spirit nodded. "Right, Shinigami-sama." And with that, he left to start his task.

X

"So, how was Stein?" Soul asked when Maka got back to their dorm. He knew that Maka had gone to see the teacher right after school, considering that she was worried about him.

"Well, uh…" Maka said, wracking her brain to come up with some sort of excuse. She didn't want to let what happened slip until everyone else knew. "He just had a really bad cold. He could barely talk, which was why he wasn't able to call in."

"I see," Soul said. He knew Maka wasn't telling him the whole truth, but he also knew that he would have to work _really_ hard to get her to do just that. It would be much easier to just try to be patient. She'd tell him when she was ready.

Maka sat down looked up at the ceiling. What was Shinigami-sama going to do about Stein's… condition? Would they try to wait it out and see if it wore off, or would they start looking for some kind of counter-curse? What would Stein do in the meantime? Surely he wouldn't just be allowed to stay in his home all day. Would they re-enroll him at DWMA? And if they did, who would act as his partner? She knew Stein could Resonate with anyone, but that was as an adult. She wasn't too sure how good he was at the moment. _Well, we'll just find out then, won't we?_ She thought.

X

Spirit entered Stein's house, medicine in hand. It looked like he was to take the job of caretaker while Stein was like this. Babysitter was probably more like it, though. He knew what Stein was like as a kid. He'd had to live through it. Maybe he was better equipped for it this time, though. After all, he _was_ a father now. But on the other hand, Maka was _very_ different than Stein. He sighed. This was not going to be easy.

When he walked into Stein's room, he heard a few distressed noises and ran over to the bed. The lump that he could now identify as Stein's body was moving around rapidly. When Spirit lifted the covers, he saw Stein thrashing in his sleep. He sat on the bed, setting the medicine down on a bedside table, and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder in an attempt to wake him up. The next thing he knew, Stein was sitting straight up in bed, hands wrapped as best as they could be around his throat, beginning to put pressure on his windpipe.

"Stein! Wait, it's me!" Spirit yelped.

The boy lifted his head slowly, and Spirit caught a brief flicker of madness in Stein's eye before it was gone. His eyes widened a fraction as he removed his hands from the man's throat. He dropped them in his lap, refusing to look at his friend. He knew he had crazy tendencies, but this was too far, even for him. What was that all about? He'd just tried to kill his own best friend, and even he didn't know why. "I'm sorry…" There was no excusing what he'd done. None…

Spirit frowned. The madness clearly hadn't left after Stein was affected by the spell. It wasn't the kid's fault. And the regretful look on Stein's face… as an adult, he would have just shook it off, _maybe_ apologized, and dropped the subject, feeling little to no guilt about it. But this Stein… Spirit was all he had right now, the only familiar thing in an unfamiliar world, and Stein couldn't understand why he'd done what he did. He knew nothing about the madness that the revival of the First Kishin had released in him. And it clearly scared the boy. He decided to do something he knew Stein wouldn't expect. He hugged him.

"Wh-What are you doing?" the young scientist asked, trying to push him away. "I'll get you sick or something!" Spirit immediately let him go, making Stein smile a little. He had the perfect excuse.

"Speaking of sick…" Spirit said, picking the medicine back up. "You're going to need this. It will make you feel better."

"I don't need it. I'll just sleep it off," Stein replied, trying to get back under the covers.

"Oh, no you don't," the Death Scythe replied, grabbing onto the collar of his shirt. "Come on, you'll feel better a lot faster."

"And then what?" the sick child asked. "What do you plan to do with me after that? Are you going to make me go to school?"

"I think Shinigami-sama's thinking about it, yeah," Spirit told him honestly, pouring the medicine into the little cup it came with. He gave it to Stein. "Drink up."

Stein took the medicine grudgingly. "Don't treat me like a little kid."

"You _are_ a little kid, Stein."

"No, I'm ten. You're treating me like I'm five," the younger male replied, annoyed.

"Oh. Sorry," Spirit apologized. He hadn't meant to do it. "Won't happen again."

"Yes, it will," Stein replied, downing the medicine, though he didn't seem bothered by it. He acknowledged it as a fact and moved on with life. That was just how Stein worked. The boy in question looked back at Spirit. "So… what happened earlier?" he asked tentatively. He wasn't sure that he wanted to know, but he knew he had to.

"How do I start this…?" the red haired man muttered to himself. "You know how the First Kishin was sealed down under DWMA, right?"

"Was?" Stein asked. "As in, past tense?"

"Yeah. Just recently, a Witch infiltrated DWMA, pretending to be a school nurse. She did an experiment to try to find a way to revive it."

"Why the hell would she do that?" Stein asked.

"She considered herself a scientist," Spirit replied. "She said that the world wasn't moving forward, so she was going to make it happen. Anyway, she took the Demon Sword, Ragnarok, and melted it down into what's now called 'Black Blood'. She filled her own child with it, and used her research on him to revive the First Kishin. And you know what comes with the First Kishin, right?"

"Madness," Stein said without a second thought. He paused, processing his own answer. "Sempai… how susceptible am I to the madness…?"

"Very, unfortunately," Spirit answered honestly. At the slightly horrified look on the child's face, the man added, "It wasn't your fault, Stein, I promise. You couldn't control it."

"But that means that it could happen again…"

"Now you know about it, though," Spirit informed him. "And you used to know about it, helping you get a little more control over it. Not much, but a little."

Stein shuddered slightly at the thought of what he could do in his maddened state. Trying to take his mind off it, he looked back up at his best friend. "Oh, yeah. Your daughter came over earlier, right after you left."

"Maka did?" Spirit asked. He knew that she showed up at the house, but he didn't know that she actually went inside.

Stein nodded. "She's a nice girl. She took this," he gestured to his ten-year-old body, "pretty well."

Spirit smiled. "Yeah, Maka's really great."

"She doesn't really like you much, though," the grey haired boy observed.

"I try to be a good father, but every time I do, she ignores me or doesn't let me help!"

"Maybe that's because you cheated on her mother so often," Stein deadpanned.

"She told you?"

"Yep." Stein got out of the bed and stood, a little unsure of how his footing would be. The medicine was working surprisingly fast, so other than a little bit dizzy, he felt fine.

"Where are you going? You're still sick!" Spirit asked, grabbing his arm. He didn't want this idiot going out somewhere and getting hurt when he was like this.

Stein just turned to look at his Sempai. "The bathroom. And I feel fine. So unless you wanna clean urine off your clothes, let me go. Alright?" Spirit complied, watching the boy go out through the hall and around a corner. This was, after all, the same building they'd lived in when they were still students at the Academy, so even though he only had his memories from when he was ten, he knew the house up, down, right, and left. Spirit didn't have to worry about him getting lost.

X

"So, what are you going to do about Stein when he gets better?" Sid asked Shinigami-sama.

"We should probably re-enroll him in DWMA. We don't know how long this could last," the Reaper replied. "And besides, it should keep him out of too much trouble. You remember how he was as a child." Sid shuddered. That was answer enough. "Oh, right, I have a favor to ask of you, Sid-kun."

"What is it?"

"Could you substitute for Crescent Moon Class until Stein-kun gets better? Death Scythe will be a bit too busy to be able to teach."

"You got it," the zombie replied.

X

The next day, Stein sat in his bed with nothing to do. He figured that he'd be starting school within the next few days, but until then, he had nothing to do. He wandered the house, peeking into his labs. He frowned. There were no specimens to dissect. He apparently hadn't been in the middle of a 'project' when the incident occurred. Besides, even if he did, he wouldn't be able to do much. He'd need to find a pretty tall stool. "I must've hit a pretty big growth spurt…" he muttered, resting his chin on the smooth metal. His shoulders were about level with the top of the table.

Stein walked back into his room and decided to take a nap. The medicine was working, but he still felt a little warm, so a little more sleep couldn't hurt.

When he woke up, Spirit was standing in the doorway, carrying a fairly large book and a few framed photos. "What're those?" he asked the man.

"I thought I'd catch you up a little," Spirit told him. He moved the boy over a little so that he could sit down next to him. "This is you," he said, handing Stein the album and opening it to the first page.

Stein studied the picture. It certainly did look like what he imagined himself look like when he grew up. Well, except for the stitches and the giant bolt. "How did I manage that…?" he asked, running a finger over the glossy surface of the picture, pointing to the screw.

Spirit laughed. "No one knows." He pointed to the next picture. "This is us when we graduated."

"I'm almost as tall as you," the young boy observed.

"These days, you're taller than me by at least three or four inches," Spirit supplied, causing Stein to grin.

"Finally. You can't hide my scalpels anymore."

"Well, now I can," the man replied, placing a hand on Stein's head to remind to boy of his current predicament. "Anyway," he said, turning the picture, "this is my wedding."

Stein studied the picture closely before frowning a little. "I'm not in the picture. Did I go to your wedding?"

"No," Spirit answered.

Stein paused. "Was I _invited_ to your wedding?" Spirit's silence was enough of an answer. "Why not?"

"We lost touch a year or two after graduation," the man replied. "I'm really sorry about that." Spirit continued to show Stein more pictures, filling him in on some details of what he missed, such as Maka's childhood, other parts of their school life, etc. when Maka showed up.

"Oh, Maka!" Spirit said, a little surprised to see his daughter there.

"Hey, Papa. Hey, Stein-sensei," she said with a smile.

"Don't call me sensei," Stein protested. "That just sounds weird."

"Sorry," the teenager replied. "Anyway, I saw Papa bringing some pictures here, so I brought one he doesn't have." She handed him a single unprotected photograph.

Eight children stood in the photograph, and behind them was Stein. One of the children, he noticed, was Maka.

"These are my friends, the other people you took an interest in." She sat on his other side so that she could point to each person. "That's Soul," she told him, pointing to the boy with white hair, red eyes, and sharp teeth. "He's my partner. He's a Scythe. This is Black*Star," she said, pointing to the arrogant-looking blue-haired kid with a star tattoo on his shoulder.

"He's from the Star Clan," Stein observed. "What's an assassin doing at DWMA?"

"Black*Star is the last of the Star Clan. The rest of the Clan was killed, but he was spared, because he was just a baby. He was taken in by the DWMA," Spirit supplied.

"Oh."

"Anyway, that's Tsubaki," Maka informed him, pointing to the kind-looking girl with long dark hair in a thing ponytail. "She's Black*Star's partner. She's what's known as the Enchanted Dark Arm, meaning—"

"On person who can transform into a myriad of different ninja weapons," Stein finished. At the looks he was given, he said, "What? I was just reading about Dark Arms the other day. Or… you know. Whatever."

"This is Death the Kid," Maka continued, pointing to the boy with black hair that had white stripes on the left side of his hair. "He's Shinigami-sama's son. He's _obsessed_ with symmetry. That's why he uses two weapons, Liz and Patty, twin pistols. That's Liz," she said, pointing to the boy on Kid's left, "and that's Patty," she added, pointing to the other girl on his right.

"It's difficult to Resonate with more than one person at a time," Stein mused. "But, then again, being a Shinigami, it _would_ be easy for him…"

"And this is Crona," Maka finished, pointing to the final student in the picture. This one looked very thing and socially awkward, but there was something that was _really_ bugging Stein about this kid.

"Is that a boy or a girl?" he asked, completely serious. He expected Spirit or Maka to laugh, so he was surprised with Maka's answer.

"To be honest," the girl replied, "We're not really sure. We keep calling Crona a guy, and he doesn't correct us, but we're still not too sure." She looked at a watch. "I have to get going. I'm meeting up with the others to hang out. Will I see you in school soon?"

"Probably," the boy replied with a shrug.

"Okay. Bye, then!" Maka said with a smile, leaving.

Little did any of them know, a certain assassin was watching, able to remain silent for once in his life.

* * *

><p><strong>TheGreatElisaMousy: So~?<strong>

**Stein: I didn't like it. You made me too social.**

**TheGreatElisaMousy: You're being helped to catch up by your best friend and his daughter. How is that being too social? And if you have issues with this, just wait until you get to school.**

**Stein: Joy.**


	4. I want a rematch!

**TheGreatElisaMousy: Here comes the next chapter~ I hope you—**

**Black*Star: I am the great and awesome Black*Star! I know I haven't been in the other chapters, but now I'm here, because this is **_**my**_** story!**

**Maka: No, it's not. Maka Chop!**

**Black*Star: OWWW!**

**TheGreatElisaMousy: Uh… now that that's out of the way… I would have Black*Star do the honors, but he's a bloody pulp right now, so… Kid?**

**Kid: TheGreatElisaMousy does not own any of the characters of Soul Eater in any way, shape, or form, and never will.**

**TheGreatElisaMousy: TT_TT**

* * *

><p>"Say that again?" Soul said, confused.<p>

"I said, Stein's a little kid!" Black*Star said, sounding exasperated. He'd tried to tell this story about three times already, and had to repeat himself over and over again.

"That's hardly enough information for anything to make sense," Death the Kid pointed out.

"Yeah, how did that happen?" Liz asked.

"How am I supposed to know? I saw him in his room with Maka and her dad," the blue-haired assassin replied.

"What were you doing at Stein's house?" Soul asked.

"I saw Maka heading over there and I wanted to know what she was doing," Black*Star replied with a shrug.

"Because of course you couldn't ask," Liz said, rolling her eyes.

"Well, no, Maka wouldn't have told him," Soul pointed out. After all, he'd asked Maka what was up, and she'd not only not told him, but she lied to him. Of course, he could kind of understand, because it wasn't really something you go around telling people (unless you were Black*Star, of course). But he was her _partner_, for god's sake! She was supposed to be able to trust him. They were going to have to talk about this…

X

Soul was waiting for Maka when she got home. "What the hell, Maka?" he asked.

"What?" she asked, confused. "What did _I _do?"

"I know about what's up with Stein," Soul said. "Just a bad cold, huh?"

"If you know what's up, then you know why I couldn't tell you!" Maka defended.

"Come on, if I knew and didn't tell you, you'd be pissed, too!" Soul shot back, and Maka couldn't reply. She knew it was true. Getting that out of his system, the Scythe calmed down a bit. "So what exactly happened? All we ever got from Black*Star was 'Stein's a little kid'."

"How did he know?" Maka asked.

"He was spying."

"And he _actually_ stayed quiet?"

"I know. Surprised us, too," Soul said with a small laugh.

"Well, Papa told me that they were fighting a Witch a little while ago, and a couple of nights ago, they were after some Kishin Eggs. When they Resonated, something happened, and the next morning, Stein-sensei was ten. He doesn't remember anything past when he was ten," Maka informed him. "Papa also said that he should be starting at DWMA soon."

"Who's he gonna partner with?" Soul asked.

"I've been wondering the same thing," Maka answered honestly. "Guess we'll find out, then, huh?"

X

"My, how the mighty have fallen."

Stein opened his eyes. It was the middle of the night, and he'd been trying to sleep, though he didn't have any success. He sat straight up, looking for the source of the unfamiliar voice. "Who's there?" he asked, clenching his fists and wishing that Spirit hadn't taken all of his easily accessible scalpels.

"Oh, I'm almost hurt," the voice said. "But, then again, if you remembered me, then that would mean the spell wasn't working properly." Stein saw something move out of the corner of his eye and turned to look. Standing against the door was a woman in all black. She had a hood over her face, but a long twisted braid of honey-golden hair came together in front of her, spiraling down her front. Snake tattoos crossed her arms. "Hello, Stein."

This woman was way too suspicious. Stein tried to take a look at the woman's soul, but was taken aback. There was nothing there for him to see. Somehow, this woman didn't have a soul. "Who are you?" he asked. He needed answers.

"Me?" The woman pulled down her hood to reveal a beautiful face with eyes that perfectly matched the color of her hair. "They call me Medusa."

"How did you get in here?" the boy asked suspiciously.

"I've been here," Medusa said cryptically, pushing off from the wall and sitting next to him on the bed.

"What do you want with me?"

"What I've always wanted," she said simply. "For you to join me. I made you an offer once, but instead of taking my hand, you killed me." Her face darkened. Suddenly, her face was in his own, making him jump back. Her eyes were wide and seemed to change shape, making her resemble a lizard or a snake. What appeared to be a thin black arrow crackling with black energy shot out of her mouth for a second like a reptilian tongue. "This time you can't refuse."

Stein heard the door open, and as soon as it did, Medusa completely vanished, with no trace that she had ever been there. The young boy found himself breathing hard, sweating. He hadn't realized it, but he'd been scared of this woman for reasons that were unknown to him. His fist clenched around the fabric of his shirt over his fast-paced heart.

"Hey, Stein, are you okay?" Spirit asked, poking his head inside the room. He'd taken an extra room down the hall in case Stein needed anything, and he'd heard the boy talking to someone.

Stein nodded shakily. "Y-Yeah. I'm fine, Sempai…" he said, sounding very shaken up. "I just… had a bad dream, that's all."

X

The next morning, Spirit quickly woke a lightly sleeping Stein and shoved a piece of toast in his mouth before his eyes were even completely open.

"What's going on, Sempai?" the young scientist asked. "Where's the fire?"

"You're going to school today," the Death Scythe answered simply. "Shinigami-sama decided that last night."

"And he decided on today, instead of giving me a little bit to get ready for it?" Stein deadpanned.

Spirit stared at him. "For you, it's like you've only had a couple of days off. What's the big deal?"

"The big deal is that I know I'm going to be in a completely different environment than what I'm used to. Different students, different teachers who, hey, might have been my old classmates. I adapt quickly, but not this quickly," the boy muttered. When he realized that Spirit wasn't going to budge on this subject, he sighed. "Just let me get dressed, alright?"

"Good!" Spirit said with a smile.

X

"By now, I'm sure you've all heard the rumors about Stein-sensei," Sid told the class, giving Black*Star a pointed look. "Well, they're true. Stein's been turned into a child, and he's starting here at school today." A hand rose among the students. "Yes, Tsubaki?"

"Who's he going to be partnered with?" she asked curiously.

"We're… still working that out," the zombie confessed.

Just then, the door opened, and mini-Stein was pushed through the door before it closed behind him. His nose crinkled. "What's that smell?" he asked. He looked around the room, ignoring the stares he was getting, until his eyes settled on the big blue zombie in front of him. "Oh. Zombie. Alright." He walked to the seats and took the one that he knew as his own. Luckily, no one in this class sat there. Soul and Maka sat in front of him. "Who's the zombie?" he whispered.

"He's a substitute for while you're still… you know," Maka told him with a helpful smile. Soul just stared at the boy until Maka elbowed him in the ribs.

"That's Sid-sensei," the weapon said.

"Sid?" Stein asked, staring at the zombie now. "Meister or Weapon?"

"Meister," Maka replied. "Knife-Meister, actually."

"Oh," the young scientist said. "He was in my class. How'd he wind up like that?"

"You," Soul replied.

"Excuse me?"

Maka covered Soul's mouth. He wasn't explaining this very well. "Sid-sensei died after a Statue of Liberty was shoved through his forehead into his brain. Then, you brought him back to life as a zombie."

"I did that?" he muttered. He smirked. "Cool."

"Sid-sensei!" one of the students by the window said. "Natasha and Savannah are at it again!" He pointed to the window.

Stein inched over to the window and looked out. Sure enough, there were two girls dueling outside. One was wielding a battle axe, while the other was shooting with some sort of cannon attached to her arm.

Sid sighed. "Alright. You kids sit tight. I'll be right back." And with that, he left, reminding Stein of the rule stating that a teacher must be present for any duel between students. He went back to his seat.

He was twisting his pencil when he felt the desk shake. Glancing up, he saw the kid with blue hair from the picture, Black*Star, standing on his desk, pointing a finger in his face. "What do you want?" he asked simply.

"I want a rematch!" Black*Star yelled, much louder than necessary.

"For what?" the younger boy asked, raising an eyebrow.

"When we first met you," Maka said helpfully, "it was in a remedial lesson, and you beat him pretty badly."

"That was because I underestimated you!" Black*Star yelled. "Now, let's fight?"

"Right here?" Stein asked. When he got no response, he sighed. "Alright," he said, standing.

"Black*Star…" the girl with the long ponytail, Tsubaki, started.

"Stay out of this, Tsubaki," Black*Star warned. "This is a man's battle!" The two boys moved away from the seats to avoid hitting the other students. Said other students gave the center of the room a wide berth. They knew how crazy strong Black*Star was, and even though Stein was much younger, they didn't want to take any chances.

"Picking on a little kid?" Stein taunted. "That's hardly fair." He dodged effortlessly to the side as the older boy attempted to punch him. He dodged four more punches, smirking. "Is that really the best you've got?" he asked, and retaliated with a strong palm-heel strike to the stomach. It didn't send Black*Star flying backward like it would have if he'd been an adult, but it did stun him. Stein took this time to circle behind him.

When Black*Star recovered a few seconds later, he jumped to the side right in time to avoid another palm-heel. He charged his hand with his Soul Wavelength and thrust it in Stein's side.

The grey-haired boy's body shook with violent spasms, but he managed to stay on his feet. "So you're like me," he said simply. "Good." Now he didn't have to hold back. He thought that he might get in trouble with Spirit if he beat any of the other kids up too much, but he had to level the playing field now. He charged his hand with his own Soul Wavelength, thrusting it out to meet Black*Star's own open hand. The assassin had just been about to strike him with a Soul Wavelength palm-heel. The two opposing forces fought each other. It finally shoved both boys backward, but Stein used his momentum to kick off the wall, landing on Black*Star's shoulders, smirking. This was the best place for him to wind up. Black*Star could do nothing to him without hurting himself as well.

Stein placed his hands on Black*Star's temples, ready to send any bit of Soul Wavelength through them that he needed. "You have two choices," he told the boy. "I can either charge you with my Soul Wavelength and knock you out, or I can break your neck and kill you. Your choice."

_Yeah… That's Stein-sensei, alright_, just about every student in the room thought.

"_STEIN!_"

The young boy in question looked up, not moving his hands from their positions. "Sempai!"

Indeed, Spirit stood in the doorway, looking a bit out of breath. Maka was by his side. Obviously she'd gone to find someone to stop the fight. "That's enough," he told the boy. "Get off of Black*Star."

Stein paused. He sighed. "Alright, fine…" He sent a tiny amount of his Wavelength through his hands, just enough to stun the assassin before jumping down.

"You're not supposed to be fighting the other students," Spirit chastised.

"He started it…" Stein muttered in response, crossing his arms.

"That didn't mean you had to keep fighting," the Death Scythe said. He paused, thinking for a moment, and then sighed. "Nevermind, I forgot who I was talking to for a minute. Just don't kill anyone, alright?"

"No promises," the young boy replied with a grin, causing Spirit to roll his eyes and Maka to giggle. Not too bad for his first day.

X

"You mean you failed?"

"N-Not exactly. The spell _did_ hit the Death Scythe, Spirit Albarn, but…"

"But?"

"He Resonated with someone else. And now that they know something's wrong with him, Shinigami won't use him unless they find a way to counteract my spell."

"Who did he Resonate with?"

"Doctor Franken Stein, Ma'am."

"That spell isn't intended for humans."

"Yes, I know. It had some… unexpected… effects. Stein is now just a ten year old boy, and he doesn't remember anything from his adult life."

"Interesting… Perhaps this wasn't a complete failure after all."

* * *

><p><strong>TheGreatElisaMousy: Oooh! The suspense!<strong>

**Crona: I don't know how to deal with cliffhangers…**

**TheGreatElisaMousy: But, yeah… Stein's madness hasn't left, so he hallucinated. Poor guy… And the fight with Black*Star? I **_**was**_** going to have him knock the idiot out, but…**

**KingDerpmore: I came in.**

**TheGreatElisaMousy: Yes, yes you did. Care to tell the dear readers what you said, my friend?**

**KingDerpmore: "You can't have Stein lose, because that would ruin canon. But you can't have Stein win, either, because that would ruin Black*Star's ego."**

**TheGreatElisaMousy: Thus, Spirit interrupted. And yay! Cameos of two of my OCs~**

**Kid: Actually, four OCs. Kayla and Lola were there, too.**

**TheGreatElisaMousy: Well, yeah, but they weren't mentioned by name, and they were both in weapon form. ANYWAY! See you next time, folks~**


End file.
